Note: I am participating in a 30-day blog challenge as part of Reflective Teacher Month at Teach Thought. I am looking forward to learning more about myself, my pedagogy and my colleagues. Day 3 Prompt: Discuss one “observation” area that you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation. I’ve discussed my evaluations from two years ago and the […]

A Facebook friend recently tagged me in a post, asking a very interesting question about the value added model component of teacher evaluations. Her question: …will you be punished if students perform poorly? If not I see not one bad thing about this; we’re investing in or future is how I look at it. Michelle WatersI am […]

Like them or not, teacher evaluation systems are here. As a new alternatively certified teacher, I like having someone in my classroom observing me, offering feedback on what I’m doing, and making suggestions for how I can improve. My principal last year observed me once, using the Tulsa Evaluation System, told me that I’d scored […]

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I am a secondary English Language Arts teacher working on my National Board Certification, an Oklahoma Writing Project Teacher Consultant, and a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma earning a Master's degree in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with a concentration in English Education.

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Making A Difference

I thank you for all you do. I have truly been enjoying the [Facebook] group!

Jessica McWhorterTeacher

In my session today, some teachers mentioned how much they enjoy your posts in the Facebook group! Thanks for all you do!Josh FloresDirectory of Secondary English Language ArtsOklahoma State Department of EducationOklahoma City, OK

I teach high school students who have dropped out of school or been expelled from their local public school and possibly several others. My students have an age range of 14 to 26. It is like teaching in a behavior alternative school on a large scale, and I use an online curriculum with individual intervention as needed. As you might imagine, my students have not done well on the state’s end-of-instruction exams–especially in English. However, our latest scores were much better than in previous y…Read more

An English Teacher

September 27: I teach young men who are incarcerated. They are middle and high school students and aren’t typically good students or careful writers. We started the unit two weeks ago, and we’ve had some amazing conversations. The boys are sharing personal stories and being much more mindful about how they interact with each other. The writing is a bit of a struggle for them but they are doing it and enjoying the opportunity to share their thoughts. A national organization that works with stud…Read more

Lisa OverbyEnglish Teacher

I have to tell you I’ve been using your website for two years now. I teach emotionally disturbed middle school students and anything I take from your site is an automatic hit. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! You have no idea how grateful I am for your site. My kids are so hard to motivate and your material does the job!!!

Maria CaprettaMiddle School TeacherDistrict 75Staten Island, New York

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your “All Summer in a Day” unit. I teach 7th and 8th Grade ELA – Special Education. While I didn’t use the entire unit, I was able to modify what I used to fit the needs of my students. I will definitely use the Smart Organization strategy and essay rubric in the future. The Graphic Organizers were incredibly helpful.
Thank you for sharing.Dawn Walker2015 Site Teacher of the YearNewman Middle SchoolSkiatook, Oklahoma

Big shout to @watersenglish from NY! We came across your site while developing curriculum this week. Great resource for us! #oklaed — Frank Adamo (@fadamo23)

Frank Adamo

Thank you so much for the information on the Christmas short stories! I teach 8th grade Literature and found your information extremely helpful as I was looking for new ideas for my Christmas unit. Have a very Merry Christmas!Renee Witte8th Grade TeacherFaith Lutheran SchoolFond du Lac, WI

Thank you so much for helping me and teaching at Little Axe! You are a kind helpful person and I would not know how to write a great story if you didn’t take your own time to help me. Thanks!6th Grade StudentLittle Axe Middle School

The Mission

Advocating for the growth and education of our nation's students. And chocolate. Read More…